CCS Releases FirstLine Encore, a Windows NT-Based Interactive Voice & Information Response System

Business Wire, August 25, 1998

NORCROSS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 1998--

Remote System Administration via Web Browser

144 Lines of IVR on a Single Windows NT Platform

Computer Communications Specialists, Inc. (CCS) today announced the release of its Windows NT-based, web-enabled CTI platform, FirstLine Encore(TM).

CCS is the first telephony company to provide Internet-enabled access as a standard operator interface, a capability that represents the next step in CCS' goal of providing enterprise-wide "virtual systems" administered from any point on the globe.

FirstLine Encore is a multi-media transaction processing system that saves companies money by improving customer service, automating routine transactions, and streamlining workflow processes. It provides self-service access to information systems from telephones, Internet browsers, kiosks, and computers anywhere in the world. It supports up to 144 telephone lines in a single Windows NT Pentium II workstation.

"FirstLine Encore represents the next state-of-the-art generation of CCS' platforms," says Thomas J. Clarke, Chief Operating Officer of CCS. "We have combined our decades of expertise in interactive voice response, data networking, and transaction processing alongside the powerful new capabilities of Windows NT and the Internet. With FirstLine Encore, we are today opening the door for the true multi-media applications of tomorrow."

The release of FirstLine Encore brings CCS closer than ever to a "virtual system" goal. Many of the major components are already in place, including:

-- Remote administration via Internet/intranet as a standard feature (ROAM[TM])

-- Single workstation administration of multiple geographically dispersed systems

-- Shared fax, text to speech and speech recognition resources that can be pooled for use by any lines in the same platform

-- Client-server architecture

"We're thrilled with the capacity we've been able to achieve in a single NT platform with our release of FirstLine Encore," states Ray Richter, founder of CCS. "Understanding operating systems and achieving a high level of throughput is one of CCS' technical strengths. We've always been able to get better performance out of a platform than any of the competition." The initial release of Encore outperforms one leading competitor's NT based product by 4 to 1, and CCS anticipates even greater line density in future releases.

FirstLine Encore uses the industry standard Windows NT operating system, MVIP standard telephony boards, and industry standard support for .DLLs and .OCXs. The new software architecture enables CCS to quickly and rapidly incorporate third party technologies into the platform as they become available. From an application developer's standpoint, support for .DLLs and .OCXs will allow rapid incorporation of existing external programs and will maximize use of common routines and functions.

CCS selected Windows NT as the FirstLine Encore operating system based on its strengths as a true multi-tasking, multi-processing operating system and its abilities as a multi-media platform. Among the many benefits of the Windows NT environment are 32-bit processing for faster data throughput, support for multiple CPU's in a single platform (which results in dramatic performance increases), C2 level security, the standard Windows Internet Explorer Internet browser, and native support for Novell and TCP/IP.

"We believe that NT has become the de facto standard for operating systems in corporations around the world," states Richter, "and we have positioned FirstLine Encore to take advantage of that and other industry standards."

Computer Communications Specialists, Inc. (CCS), is a leading industry source for turnkey business solutions involving Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and workflow automation. CCS has over 3,000 systems installed in major corporations throughout the world. CCS is a subsidiary of Trex Communications, a Thermo Electron company.

   CONTACT:  Computer Communications Specialists, Inc.
              David Gay, 770/441-3114, ext. 7336
              E-mail: dgay@ccsivr.com